Friction-controlled hinge



April 18, 1950 E. A. RING 2,504,351

FRICTIONCONTROLLED HINGE Filed Jan. 9, 1947' [12 den Z 01.-

Ern 2W1? Patented Apr. 18, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,504,351 FRICTION-CONTROLLED HINGE Ernest A. Ring, Providence, R. 1. assignor of onehalf'to Francis M. Blakeney, Cranston, R. I;

Application Jam'iary 9, 1947, SerialNo. arm

hinge of general use having means for frictionally resisting the swinging movement between the parts connected thereby to'yieldingly maintain them in relatively fixed position.

Another object is to provide a hinge of the type indicated having its two connected members pivoted to swing about an axial pivot-pin acting to exert frictional resistance to their pivotal movement.

Another object is to provide a hinge of the type indicated in which the connected hingeleaves or other parts are pivoted to swing about a hinge-pin of undulating or wavy contour and of resilient nature for applying frictional resistance to the turning movement of the parts.

Further objects of the improvement are set forth in the following specification which describes one form of construction of a hinge having the present improvements applied to use therewith as illustrated by the accompanying drawing. In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a common type of butt-hinge embodying the improvements of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing a slight modi .iication in the form of the holding means for the bushing about which the leaves of the spring pivot; v

Fig. 3 is an enlarged, sectional detailed view of a portion of the hinge-joint taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentaryview oi. the hinge members part-sectional through the axis of the pivotins: means;

Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view on line 5-5 of Fig. 3 showing the spl nes on the bushing for holding it from turning in the boss of one of the hinge-leaves; 1

Fig. 6 is a similar transverse sectional view taken on line 66 of Fig. 4 and illustrating an alternative method of locking the bushing in the boss on one of the hinge-leaves: and

Fig. '7 is a view of the resilient friction-applying hinge-pin of the device, the dotted lines indicating the manner in which one end of the hinge-pin is bent at right-angles to form a prong for keying the pin to prevent it from turning relatively to one of the hinge-members.

The present improved hinge is susceptible of various uses, such as for hanging doors, hinging 3 Claims. (01. 16442) bosses 5 and 6, while the opposite leaf 3 has a Referring to Fig. 3, a tubular sleeve or bushing covers to boxes and chest, mounting the doors: of cabinets and other furniture, and generally. for connecting the foldable part of various objects such as spectacle frames or the like.

In the accompanying drawing, the present improvements are shown'by way of illustration as applied to a common type of butt-hinge such as used for hanging doors in buildings, lids on boxes, and mounting other parts in furniture manufacture. In other instances, the improvements may be incorporated in the hinged joints of folding parts of various articles without the use of butts or other attaching means.

Referring to the drawing, Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a butt-hinge comprising two opposed leaves 2 and 3 provided with chamfered screwholes 4 for attaching one leaf to a door and the other to a jamb or for a similar use on the lids of boxes and the like. The leaf 2 is formed at the top and bottom with integral cylindrical single central boss I. The boss I is of a length equal to the combined length of the two bosses 5 and 6 and is interleaved therewith with the bores of the several bosses in axial alinement.

i0 is inserted through the bores of the several bosses 5, 6 and l and means provided for fixedly holding it from turning in the boss 1 so that the bosses 5 and 6 on the leaf 2 will pivot about its axis. As shown in Fig. 3, the bushing 10 is provided with a pair of relatively thin radially--- projecting splines l l adapted to engage in grooves in the bore of the boss 1 on the leaf 3.- This form of construction is particularly adapted for use; when the parts of the hinge are constructed of plastic since the bushing may be driven through; the bore in the boss i to cause the spl nesto form their own grooves on the interior thereof,

In other instances when the parts areconstructed of metal the bushing Ill may be held from turning in the bore of the boss 1 by means of a set--v screw I2 having 'apointed end l3 perforating the periphery of the bushing. In either case the bushing i0 is heldfixedly in the boss 1 off.)

lating or wavy contour throughout substantially its full length. The wire for the hinge-pin 15 may be bent or formed with an undulatory contour along its length comprising alternating convex sections I! and concave portions IS on its opposite sides by shaping it in dies or with a bending tool before it is hardened to a spring temper. The transverse dimension between the opposite convex sides of the wire: or pin I5 is slightly greater than the diameter of the bore IS in the bushing I so that when the pin is forced through the bore it will exert a resilient pressure on the sides of the bore to apply frictional resistance to the turning of the bushing, about the pin; or vice versa, the turning of the pin-inthe bushing.

The hinge-pin I may be fixedly held to the leaf 2 of the hinge to adapt the bushing Ill; fast in the other leaf 3, to rotate thereon by. means of a laterally-projecting, prong 2| bent at rightangles from its end as represented by dotted lines in Fig. '7. The lateral prong; 21 of' thepin I5 is engaged in a slot 22' in theupper end of the boss ion the leaf 2" as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. With this form of construction the leaf 2 may beconsidered the stationary element of the hinge with the leaf' 3 mounted to swin with respect thereto as the bushing ll) keyed thereto turns about the pin l5i On the other hand, if desired, the leaf 3' may" be secured in fixed relationship and the leaf. 2 permitted to" pivot with respect thereto with the pin 15 turning in the bushing III. In either case the resilient nature of. the undulatory eccentric portions ll of the pin 15 act to exert a lateral thrust against the sides of the bore in the bushing Ill to apply frictional resistance to the relative turning movement of the parts. The amount of 'such resistance may beregulated by forming the pin- [5 with its undulating portions of greater or lesser eccentricity with" respect to the axis of the bore l6 of the bushing l0 so that varying degrees of resistance may be secured in accordance with the requirements in different types of mountings. When the improvements are applied to door-hinges the frictional resistance to the turning movement of the" hinge-leaves may be just sufiicient to holdthe door in either open or closed relationship and; likewise, when used for the lids of chests, the doors of cabinets or the like, sufficient friction may be applied to hold'the lidraised or the door open without the use of other sustaining means. In small articles such as foldable spectacle-frames, only slight resistance to the turningof the folding parts is required and this maybe accomplished by using a spring-pin made from wire of relatively small diameter with its undulat'ionsor offset lobes ofrel'ativel'y slight eccentricity with respect to the axis of the hinge.

It willbe observed from the foregoing descriptionthat the present improvements provide an extremely simple construction of frictionallycontrolled hinge for connecting various arts or objects with its parts economical to manufacture and durable in use over long periods of time. The spring-pin for connecting the parts may be made of material suitable to resist deformation and deterioration and when employed in combination with a bushing of different material it will operate practically without requiring lubrication.

The present means for keying the hinge-pin to one of the parts of the hinge consisting in the bent prong 2| provides a simple form of construction,,but other means may. be. employedfor the same'purpose. It is alsox-tof be understood that While the present improved'hinge is herein shown and described in a particular form of construction, variations may be made in the shape and arrangement-ofits parts without departing from the. spirit orscopc. of the invention. Therefore, without limiting. myself in this respect, I claim:

1. In a hinge of the type indicated, a pair of membershavingbosses bored to receive an axial bushing extending therethrough, means for fixedly holding the bushing from turning in one of the bosses, a spring-pin having an undulating contour extending throughout its length with eccentrically-ofiset lobes adapted to bear frictionally against'the sides of the bore in the bushing, and means at the end of. the. pin engaging a slot in one of the hinge-members to prevent the pin from turning with respect thereto.

2. An improved hinge comprising a pair of' opposite members having bosses with aligning bores, a. bushing extending axially through the bores in the bosses and'formed. with splines along its sides engaging grooves in the bores. of. one of said members to hold'it from turning therein, and a pin formed with an undulating contour extending. substantially throughout. its length to provide convex portions offset-eccentrically irom itslom gitudinal axis, and. means for holding, the. pin from turning with respectto one of the. hingemembers to effect relative rotation between the pin and the bushing, said pin being tempered to adapt its offset portions to bear against the sides of the. bore in the bushing to exert. frictional resistance to the relative. turning movement. be.- tween thehinge-members.

3;. In a hinge of. the type indicated, a pair. of

members having portions formed with axially alined bores, a bushin extending through the bores in both members, means for fixedly securing the bushing'from turning in the bore ofone REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record. in. the. file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS-- Number Name Date 290,398 Clarkson Dec. 1'8, 1883 347,124 Oudin Aug. 10, 1886 769,035 Walter Aug. 1904" 

